Instead I started thinking about the type of environment I would love to work in. More specifically, who are the types of people I want to be surrounded by day-in and day-out? I came up with three qualities that are non-negotiable to be considered dream coworkers:

People I Admire.

I’m driven by passion. When I’m into something, I’m REALLY into something. So, naturally, I love meeting and reading about passionate and focused people. These are the go-getters who courageously embrace failure, the entrepreneurs who risked everything for an idea, the executives who fought the good fight and came out winning… and I could go on. These are the people I want to work for, work with and be surrounded by.

People who are invested in me.

To me, being a young professional is like being a toddler again in many ways. As a toddler you’re a sponge. You’re taking in the world, soaking in absolutely everything you can because you want to learn all about it and thrive in it. I’ve been extremely blessed thus far to have so many people guiding and advising me throughout my career – sometimes even people I would never have guessed cared for a second. I would not have this any other way.

People with integrity.

This comes down to the fact that I’m an idealist at heart, and I believe in the goodness of people. Unfortunately, life has shown me that even the people you begin to trust the most can turn out to be liers and cheaters. The corporate world has a particularly bad rep when it comes to this standard, but we also know it happens in politics and in nonprofits. In my ideal work world everyone I work with would operate with integrity 24/7.

How about you? What would you add to or take away from this list? I need to know if I’m missing anything in case my fairy godmother comes by with her wand soon!